Monday, November 30, 2009

Noetic Science, Consciousness, and Coherence

(The following is just for fun)

I am listening to CoasttoCoastAM talking about physical coherence and human consciousness. I don't like when Art Bell, George Noory, and Ian Pundit tell ghost stories because it creates fear, global dissidence, or as LDS would say "spreads a bad spirit," but I enjoy when they speak on fun topics like what the mainstream would call "pseudo-science" or "meta-science." Tonight's subject is addressing how individual and global human consciousness can affect the physical world. According to the guests on the show, there way be scientific instruments that are able to measure these effects for the first time. However, if CoasttoCoastAM believes in what is called Noetic Science, they shouldn't have shows dedicated to telling ghost stories, UFOs, and spreading rumors, lies, and fear.

Dan Brown's latest thriller "the Lost Symbol" also discussed ideas and correlations of the emerging field of Noetic Science and presumed hidden knowledge of ancient civilizations preserved today in societies such as Freemasonry and in the Bible. Noetic Science is a new and emerging "meta-science" that claims that it can scientifically measure the direct effects of collective and individual human consciousness on the physical world. Like the CoasttoCoastAM show, One of Dan Brown's main characters claims they can scientifically measure the effects of prayer and meditation. Dan Brown played with the idea that ancient civilizations understood this science and this knowledge is preserved in the symbolism and ritual of Freemasonry and in the Bible: "Order from Chaos".

So, how are scientists supposedly measuring the effect of collective human consciousness or what is called "coherence" vs. "incoherence" or "dissonance?" It turns out that some researchers at Princeton and the Global Consciousness Project maintain a world-wide network of random number generators known as he EGG experiment. What they claim is that when there is a global incident like 911 or Princess Diana's death, because of global news, this creates a situation where there are hundreds of millions and even billions of people in the world who are experiencing a shared emotion of love or fear and maybe even a shared consciousness. And what this Princeton group claims is that during events like 911, they observed an effect of this shared global consciousness in their worldwide series of random number generators. The Princeton group claims that during global incidents that they are observing an increase in order and coherence among their worldwide network of random number generators or "Order from Chaos".

Richard C. Hoglan who is a common guest on CoasttoCoastAM also says that he was able to measure the effect of how ancient temples and pyramids were designed to focus these effects. Hoglan claims that he was able to use a Buliva watch and a tuning fork and measure a change in the frequency in the tuning fork as he walked up and down Maya pyramids in MesoAmerica. Hoglan claimed that something about the pyramids at Tiqual was affecting the mass and angular momentum of the tuning fork. However, Richard C. Hoglan needs to remember that large structures like Egyptian Pyramids collect and concentrate large static charges on their surfaces. If you take a metal hoop to the top of the pyramid at Giza the dissipation of electrical charge is so great that you can observe St. Elmo's Fire or plasma at the top as the charge is dissipated. It could be that this static charge gradient is the source of Dr. Hoglan's torsion-field effect.

I wonder if you could measure the same effect using a tuning fork which is usually used to calibrate a radar speed detector. However you would need an independent way to calibrate a radar speed detector and then have a continually resonating tuning fork and measure the changes in readings of the radar speed detector. Could measurements be observed in other high-precision instrumentation like laser gyroscopes and interferometry?

Another guest on CoasttoCoastAM, Greg Braydon, claims that on 911 there was a spike measured by the GOES weather satellites measurement of the global dipole moment of the Earth. The claim is that somehow the worldwide response to 911 caused a brief increase in the global magnetic field dipole moment of the Earth.

The guests on CoasttoCoastAM are of the opinion that the 2012 Maya Calender may be pointing to a convergence window of events such as a galactic alignment of the sun in the plane of the galaxy, a 26,000-year and 5,000-year progression of the equinoxes, and a possible record solar minimum or maximum, and a earth magnetic pole reversal which may cause all kinds of unknown affects. They are not speaking of the end of the Earth, but a new consciousness driven by changes in the world. Richard C. Hoglan and Greg Braydon are claiming that changes in the world will cause a change in human consciousness and at the same time that the united global consciousness and coherence could causes physical changes. Richard C. Hoglan calls this medium the torsion field effect, Shumman radio-frequency resonance, and the crystal heart.

One caller made an interesting point that there seemed to be a negative yet powerful amplifying force associated with the Maya doing human sacrifice and pulling the heart out at the top of a pyramid at a certain time. Maya believed that this kind of sacrifice changed the physical world around them in observable ways.

While I am repeating some of this, let me be clear that I don't believe most of it. I do not think anything will happen in 2012 just like I did not believe anything would happen in 2000. The Bible says that after the opening of the 7th Seal which likely refers to the year 2000, John in Revelation says that there would be silence for half-an-hour before there would be the sounding of the 7 Trumpets and the pouring out of the 7 cups of wrath. If 1000 years is 1 day to God, then half-an-hour would be 21 years not 12 years. And then after the sounding of the trumpets the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is sometime after that; at least 3 1/2 more years until Armageddon and the restoration of the Jewish Temple which must occur before Christ's Second Advent.

But being a religious and spiritual person, I believe in the power of prayer and meditation and it is fascinating to think about scientific experiments which possibly could measure an effect of coherent human consciousness. I don't know if all this is true, but the Princeton group claims that their EGG experiment is showing results. Being LDS, I also believe that temples and prayer circles can magnify the power and effect of prayer. Whether the effect of a temple or a prayer circle can be measured using a watch and tuning fork, I don't know. I agree with the guests that temples and pyramids can amplify miracles.

One idea that I was interested in also, was something Ian Pundit and Greg Braydon said about the human response to calamity. Ian was saying about how humans respond to fear and adversity. The Bible says that "perfect love casteth out fear." Accordingly, stress brings out the best or worst in people. Adversity shows people what they are made of. As the Bible says God has raised some up to honor and others to dishonor and that the Saints would come out of the tribulation with their clothes washed white in the blood of Christ. This is related to the fight or flight response. When people face adversity, they engage that adversity with faith, hope and love while others react, regress, and withdraw with fear and anger.

The show seemed to have a good conclusion that said that human consciousness could help things or make things worse. Human consciousness and hope could have the power to reverse and repair the world. However, there is a danger here. I disagree that human consciousness is the power here. Faith in Jesus Christ is the true power, and the real power of temples and Christian prayer circles is not the ritual and building itself, but that these rituals, ordinances and sacred spaces focus our collective faith in Christ which is the only true source of love and power to change hearts and save the world.

Dean Radin who is a Senior Scientist at the Global Oneness Project spoke about some interesting points. First he said that neuroscientists have found that a person's view of self and their worldview determines the quality of their morality. College students read over data on brain function with the following materialistic spin/opinion given by Nobel Laureate Francis Crick who said "We are nothing but a pack of neurons." Other students just read the factual data without the materialistic spin. Then both groups of students were given a test on the material with a promise of a monetary reward for a perfect score on the test and a way to cheat. The results of the study were that college students who had read "We are nothing but a pack of neurons" cheated much more than those students not exposed to this spin. This suggests what we already know, that when we are taught a Nietzsche/nihilist philosophy that there is an end of consciousness at death, or a Darwin/evolutionist view that we are all evolved from "pondscum", or we are taught an Evangelical doctrine that men are created beings no better than "dungbeetles" then we are more likely to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. Dean Radin uses this data to justify continued research into Noetic Science because he claims that if we all realize that man is part of a large interconnected mind, and that our individual actions have effects on the system, then maybe our society will behave more ethically. LDS understand that all mankind are spirtual offspring of God the Father and are spiritually begotten and not made. Knowing this helps LDS exhibit a generally higher moral behavior.

Then Dean Radin suggests some very interesting ideas. He says that science is able to differentiate the brain from the mind. And says, the consciousness of the mind can already have affects on the physical world through our brain. So, if our mind can bring order to the chaotic system of the brain, then why could it not affect other systems. Then he wondered about the Internet. The Internet has become nearly as complicated and interconnected as the human brain. At some point could the Internet become senescent, self-aware, or conscious? What mind would be in control. Would the Internet become controlled or biased by a single global mind, or even the spirit of the Earth "Gaya" herself. Radin suggests the Internet may become a way in which the mind of man and the mind of the Earth could communicate and interact with one another instead of through weather and natural disaster. As our mind can control our brain, maybe a global consciousness could control the internet. LDS scripture tells us that the Earth will become sanctified and eventually become likened to a "sea of glass mingled with fire" were man will look into the Earth which will become a great Urim and Thummin and reaveal all things related to a lesser kingdom.

D&C 130:9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.

Questions:1. If adversity drives people to the extremes of fear vs. love respectively then wouldn't these forces be equal and opposite? If equal and opposite forces, how could the effect of those forces be measured? Unless the initial response to 911 was immediate horror, and then people split into groups expressing fear vs. faith and hope and love. However, light and dark are not equal and opposite. Darkness is only the absence of light. Love casteth out fear.2. Therefore, would an increase in charitable giving after a catastrophe be measurable on a goodwill/chaos/coherence meter?3. If Christ is not in the equation, then the science is false. But LDS do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. All truth has temporal and spiritual realities. Therefore, could there be a physical, quantifiable, and measurable aspect to the LDS temple and Christian prayer circle?4. Could Noetic Science be a corrupt philosophy behind an emerging one world government? Which part of this philosophy is true and which part is the lie?5. An experiement to test this hypothesis: The Super Bowl is usually played on a neutral field. Therefore, during the next Super Bowl, take 50 RNGs to each of the respective cities of both ciites, and 50 around the Super Bowl statium itself and then 50 more in Tokyo or other large city where the people are not not American Football fans as a negative control and see what happens with each touchdown or fumble and win or lose.